Chevy Volt 2014 MSRP dropped to $34,995 inc. shipping

[Deleted member 9549]

http://insideevs.com/2014-chevrolet-volt-priced-from-34995/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Will this end up having any effect on LEAF pricing?

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

So $40k with a perpetual $4-5k rebate vs $35k. Is this really big news?

 

[Deleted member 9549]

So $40k with a perpetual $4-5k rebate vs $35k. Is this really big news?

The media will think so. And given GM's history, I wonder how long before they start giving 'cash incentives' on the 2014s against the new lower price.

All this going on while Tesla has just raised prices 10%, mostly on options.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

It may also be to give some breathing room for pricing the ELR.

 

[scottf200]

http://insideevs.com/2014-chevrolet-volt-priced-from-34995/
Will this end up having any effect on LEAF pricing?

LEAF is already cheap.

Official GM announcement: http://media.gm.ca/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2013/Aug/0806-volt-pricing.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Title: Chevy Volt Plug-In Electric Cars Now Have Battery Cells Made In U.S.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086025_chevy-volt-plug-in-electric-cars-now-have-battery-cells-made-in-u-s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TomT]

Yes, because a lot of people don't really understand or like rebates and the like, and this will make the car appear to be less expensive with no dickering necessary. I think it will definitely kick up the sales.

So $40k with a perpetual $4-5k rebate vs $35k. Is this really big news?

 

[SanDust]

The price cut is game over for Volt vs. Leaf sales, but the Leaf is small potatoes. The big potato is the Prius, and the issue moving forward is how well the Volt does against the Prius. If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt. Does put more pricing pressure on the Leaf, which at the moment is sandwiched between the Volt right above it and the Spark EV and Fiat 500e below it. At least in the CA and OR!

The size of the drop is surprising. LG Chem now making cells in Michigan may have factored into it. Having battery production and assembly in the US was the reason Nissan gave for cutting prices on the Leaf.

 

[TomT]

Particularly with the PiP's almost non-existent electric-only range...

If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt.

 

[dgpcolorado]

The price cut is game over for Volt vs. Leaf sales, but the Leaf is small potatoes. The big potato is the Prius, and the issue moving forward is how well the Volt does against the Prius. If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt...

Well, the PIP would be better for someone who takes a lot of long trips, because the gas mileage is substantially better than the Volt. But for those with middle range commutes — fifteen to forty miles — especially in single car households, the Volt seems like a better buy.

I wish the Volt were selling better because that would give incentive to GM to improve it. A smaller, higher gas mileage, engine would be a good start. Don't suppose that will happen unless the car can be considered a success, however.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

Particularly with the PiP's almost non-existent electric-only range...

If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt.

PIP doesn't even count as an electric with such limited range.
In my case the Volts range doesn't cover the distance I need. Therefore always becomes a gas, electric mix. When looking at gas fuel economy, the Prius' 51 mpg does much better than the Volts 37. I could see getting a Prius over a Volt especially at substantially lower price even after the price cuts.
But in my case the LEAF works out best of all worlds, that's why I leased it. Has workable range for my needs and no need to consider gas at all. When we use our ICE it's for a long trip the Volt couldn't handle due to small interior space and its poor gas mileage doesn't compare to the 45-55mpg I get with my VW TDI.

 

[TomT]

The Volt was originally scheduled to get the new genset and chassis (which is based on the Cruz) in 2015 but it appears that has been pushed back at least a year now...

I wish the Volt were selling better because that would give incentive to GM to improve it. A smaller, higher gas mileage, engine would be a good start. Don't suppose that will happen unless the car can be considered a success, however.

 

[adric22]

The price cut is game over for Volt vs. Leaf sales, but the Leaf is small potatoes. The big potato is the Prius, and the issue moving forward is how well the Volt does against the Prius. If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt. Does put more pricing pressure on the Leaf, which at the moment is sandwiched between the Volt right above it and the Spark EV and Fiat 500e below it. At least in the CA and OR!

I don't think so. I think the market is big enough for both vehicles to sell in higher volumes. I think both vehicles just needed a price drop to get people to consider them. To be honest, the Volt still has a high sticker price, but it is much better now! To see an MSRP of $34,995 would still greatly turn me off if I didn't realize about the tax credits, the gas savings, etc. If they advertise the $27,495 price that does start to encroach upon Prius territory as a fully loaded Prius could be in that price range.

I am curious how this news will affect current Volt sales. Granted, the price drop is for the 2014 models, but we all know the 2013's are being discounted to this price anyway. But with the price drop more publicly known, people are more likely to go down to the dealer and inquire about it. I expect the 2014 Volt to easily break that 3,000 per month barrier we've seen for a while now.

I've pretty much made up my mind.. I have less than a year before my Leaf's lease is up. I'm getting a 2014 Volt to replace it.

 

[dhanson865]

Particularly with the PiP's almost non-existent electric-only range...

If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt.

The PiP would exactly make it one way on my home/work commute and I could charge at either end.

The only think keeping me from buying a PiP is there are very few on the used market and the new or used ones are way expensive vs a used Prius.

At 10 cents a kwh I'd happily switch away from gas to electric with either PiP or Leaf just so long as I can get one cheap enough. I know both have good reliability when it comes to moving parts and lack there of.

Maybe if the Volt got cheap enough so that it could compete with me buying a used Prius and it was close in reliability I'd consider it. I'm not sure about either of those "ifs" at this point though.

What I'm seeing right now is about $25,000 cash for a PiP vs a similar Prius for $15,000 or a similar Leaf for $18,000. And I can always look at older Prius to get the price even lower.

 

[GRA]

Particularly with the PiP's almost non-existent electric-only range...

If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt.

PIP doesn't even count as an electric with such limited range.
In my case the Volts range doesn't cover the distance I need. Therefore always becomes a gas, electric mix. When looking at gas fuel economy, the Prius' 51 mpg does much better than the Volts 37. I could see getting a Prius over a Volt especially at substantially lower price even after the price cuts.
But in my case the LEAF works out best of all worlds, that's why I leased it. Has workable range for my needs and no need to consider gas at all. When we use our ICE it's for a long trip the Volt couldn't handle due to small interior space and its poor gas mileage doesn't compare to the 45-55mpg I get with my VW TDI.

Umm, why would you use the combined fuel economy when comparing the Volt and Prius? The 2013 et seq. Volt has the EV Hold button, so anyone with any sense will use EV in town and ICE on the highway, where the Volt gets 40 mpg (C&D leadfeet) against the Prius's 48. The Prius still wins out on longer trips, but the difference is a lot closer than 14 mpg.

 

[DaveEV]

The Prius still wins out on longer trips, but the difference is a lot closer than 14 mpg.

Good point, my calculations show that you burn more gas in a Volt once you travel farther than 158 miles between charges (compared to PiP at 49 mpg hwy). The rest of the time you will be burning less gas in the Volt unless you drive less than 11 miles between charges and can feather foot it.

PiP: 11 EV miles + 3 gallons * 49 mpg = 158 miles
Volt: 38 EV miles + 3 gallons * 40 mpg = 158 miles

But even if you more than double the miles between charges to say 400 (a fairly common "road trip" distance), you burn 7.939 gallons in a PiP and 9.05 gallons in a Volt. I doubt it takes long to make up for that 1.1 gallons on that occasional road trip in EV miles on the Volt (56 miles at 50 mpg combined).

If you drive a typical 25 mile round trip commute, you're going to burn 0.28 gallons / day in a PiP so by Thursday night you've burned 1.1 gallons and Friday night you've burned 0.28 gallons more in a PiP.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-07/why-cheaper-volts-help-gm-sell-pickups" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pretty much says it all:

In the first seven months of this year, GM sold almost 389,000 trucks and only 11,643 Volts.
“If there was no CAFE, GM wouldn’t even be in the small-car game,” says Bloomberg Industries analyst Kevin Tynan. “They would be selling trucks all day.”

 

[scottf200]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-07/why-cheaper-volts-help-gm-sell-pickups Pretty much says it all:

In the first seven months of this year, GM sold almost 389,000 trucks and only 11,643 Volts. “If there was no CAFE, GM wouldn’t even be in the small-car game,” says Bloomberg Industries analyst Kevin Tynan. “They would be selling trucks all day.”

Seriously your point is ridiculous. Pick any manufacturer and they are selling a ton more gassers than electric.
Nissan July from their USA sales report (go check out other country as well) http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/channels/U-S-Sales-Reports" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;:

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS
Nissan Division posted 101,279 sales, a July record and up 16.8 percent from last July's 86,722 units. July marks Nissan's fifth consecutive monthly sales record.
* Nissan Altima deliveries also set a July record, increasing 11 percent to 29,534 units.
* Pathfinder SUV sales jumped 235.1 percent to 8,428 units, marking the best July ever for the model.
* Versa sales set a July record at 9,007 units, up 20.9 percent, buoyed by the launch of the all-new 2014 Versa Note hatchback.
* Rogue sales also set a new July record at 16,992 units, up 28.8 percent. An all-new Rogue will launch later in 2013, with production moving to Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plant.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Seriously your point is ridiculous.

Hey I don't write the news, I just report it. This is what the world is being told about alternative fuel vehicles, that they can't and don't stand on their own, they are merely the product of the regulatory environment.

 

[blackmamba]

Seriously your point is ridiculous.

Hey I don't write the news, I just report it. This is what the world is being told about alternative fuel vehicles, that they can't and don't stand on their own, they are merely the product of the regulatory environment.

You cherry picked a statement that was tilted more toward taking a dig at Big Bad GM than it was about EVs in general not standing on their own. Meanwhile, GM is soon to have three cars either fully or primarily powered by electricity on the market, in contrast to Nissan who cancelled until further notice the Infiniti EV leaving only the flawed Leaf to carry the banner.

 

[thankyouOB]

The price cut is game over for Volt vs. Leaf sales, but the Leaf is small potatoes. The big potato is the Prius, and the issue moving forward is how well the Volt does against the Prius. If you have access to a plug, and don't absolutely need a fifth seat, hard to see why anyone would want a Prius rather than a Volt. Does put more pricing pressure on the Leaf, which at the moment is sandwiched between the Volt right above it and the Spark EV and Fiat 500e below it. At least in the CA and OR!

The size of the drop is surprising. LG Chem now making cells in Michigan may have factored into it. Having battery production and assembly in the US was the reason Nissan gave for cutting prices on the Leaf.

LEAF sales will suffer while it is a lease only car. buyers will avoid the car until nissan settles the SYB program and offers buyers the chance to purchase the replacement part.
no one wants to get stuck with a car with a degraded battery that they cant sell because to improve the battery means the new buyer has to agree to a perpetual $100 a month battery lease.